Every Christmas, I look forward to baking a batch of classic Gingerbread Men with Royal Icing.

There’s something wonderfully nostalgic about the warm spices, the rolling and cutting of the dough, and the fun of decorating each cookie with cheerful faces and festive icing details.

These gingerbread cookies are soft yet sturdy enough to decorate, and the royal icing dries beautifully glossy, making them perfect for gifting, hanging on the tree, or adding to holiday dessert boards.

They bring joy to adults and kids alike — and they’re absolutely adorable in photos, making them a Pinterest favorite.

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Recipe Highlights

These Gingerbread Men with Royal Icing are rich with molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, creating the cozy Christmas flavor everyone expects from a classic gingerbread cookie.

The dough is easy to work with, rolls smoothly, and holds its shape perfectly while baking — ideal for crisp, well-defined gingerbread men.

The royal icing sets with a smooth, glossy finish that makes decorating fun and beginner-friendly, whether you prefer simple designs or intricate piping details.

This recipe is also perfect for holiday traditions: cookie decorating parties, Christmas Eve baking sessions, or making edible gifts for neighbors.

  • Classic gingerbread flavor with warm spices and molasses.
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  • Dough rolls easily and keeps cookie shapes crisp and defined.
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  • Royal icing dries smooth, shiny, and sturdy for decorating.
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  • Perfect for cookie decorating parties with kids.
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  • Great for gifting, stacking, packaging, and Pinterest holiday posts.

Ingredient Notes

All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure and helps the cookies hold their shape.

Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and a tender bite while ensuring the dough stays workable.

Brown Sugar: Sweetens the dough and enhances the molasses flavor.

Molasses: The signature ingredient that gives gingerbread its deep color and iconic flavor.

Egg: Adds moisture and binds the dough.

Baking Soda: Provides lift and keeps the cookies lightly soft.

Ground Ginger: The main spice that creates the classic gingerbread flavor.

Ground Cinnamon: Adds warmth and depth.

Ground Cloves: Provides a bold spice note that makes gingerbread special.

Salt: Enhances the spice profile and balances sweetness.

Powdered Sugar (for icing): The base of a silky, pipeable royal icing.

Meringue Powder: Creates structure in royal icing and helps it dry firm and stable.

Vanilla Extract: Adds sweetness and flavor to the icing.

Water: Adjusts icing consistency depending on piping or flooding needs.

How to Make My Gingerbread Men with Royal Icing

Step 1 — Cream the Butter and Sugar
Beat the butter and brown sugar together until smooth and fluffy.

Step 2 — Add Molasses and Egg
Mix in the molasses and egg until fully combined.

Step 3 — Add Dry Ingredients
Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add to the wet mixture and mix until the dough forms.

Step 4 — Chill the Dough
Shape dough into a disc, wrap, and chill for at least two hours (overnight is even better).

Step 5 — Roll and Cut
Roll the dough to a ¼-inch thickness and cut out gingerbread men using a cookie cutter.

Step 6 — Bake
Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at three hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit for eight to ten minutes.

Step 7 — Make the Royal Icing
Whisk powdered sugar, meringue powder, vanilla, and water until smooth and pipeable.

Step 8 — Decorate
Pipe faces, buttons, outlines, and details on cooled cookies. Allow icing to dry completely before stacking.

Serving Suggestions

Serve on a festive Christmas cookie board.

Add them to holiday gift tins for neighbors.

Decorate them as a family Christmas Eve tradition.

Use them as edible ornaments with a ribbon loop.

Tips for the Best Gingerbread Men with Royal Icing

For the most flavorful gingerbread, chill the dough thoroughly so the spices develop, and the cookies bake evenly.

Roll the dough evenly to avoid thin spots that can overbake. When preparing the royal icing, add water very slowly to avoid thinning it too much — thick icing is best for outlines, while thinner icing (flood consistency) is great for filling.

Allow decorated cookies to dry uncovered for several hours to ensure icing sets firm and stackable.

Classic Gingerbread Men with Royal Icing
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Classic Gingerbread Men with Royal Icing

Recipe by JoanneCourse: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Moderate
Servings

20

cookies
Prep time

20

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Calories per cookie

140

kcal

These Gingerbread Men with Royal Icing are beautifully spiced, fun to decorate, and perfect for gifting, celebrating, or creating holiday memories with loved ones.

Ingredients

  • For the Gingerbread Cookies:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • ¾ cup brown sugar

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

  • ½ cup molasses

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • For the Royal Icing:

  • 3 cups powdered sugar

  • 2 tablespoons meringue powder

  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 4 to 6 tablespoons water

Directions

  • Beat the butter and brown sugar until creamy.
  • Add the molasses and egg and mix until smooth.
  • Whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
  • Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until the dough forms.
  • Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for at least two hours.
  • Preheat oven to three hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Roll out chilled dough to ¼-inch thickness.
  • Cut out gingerbread men and place them on parchment-lined baking sheets.
  • Bake eight to ten minutes until edges just begin to firm.
  • Cool completely before decorating.
  • Make royal icing by mixing powdered sugar, meringue powder, vanilla, and water.
  • Adjust icing to piping or flooding consistency as needed.
  • Decorate cookies and allow the icing to dry for several hours.

Notes

  • Chill the dough fully for sharp cookie edges.
  • Use gel food coloring for vibrant icing details.
  • Add more water to create flood icing for filling larger areas.
  • Allow icing to dry completely before stacking to avoid smudges.

Storage & Warming Instructions

  • Store cookies in an airtight container for up to one week.
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  • Freeze undecorated cookies for up to three months.
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  • Freeze decorated cookies in layers separated by parchment for up to one month.
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  • To refresh, warm undecorated cookies for five seconds in the microwave.
Classic Gingerbread Men with Royal Icing